Turbine engines generally include three sections: a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. In some turbine engine designs, a duct, known as a transition, extends between the combustor section and turbine section. The transition serves many purposes, one of which is to direct the hot gases produced in the combustor section to the turbine section.
Precise alignment between the inlet end of the transition and the combustor section is critical for proper engine operation. Earlier alignment methods were crude, time consuming, labor intensive and required manual mathematical calculations. Consequently, rework operations were common when such methods were employed.
Thus, one object according to aspects of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to facilitate the process of aligning the inlet end of the transition with respect to a combustor component of a turbine engine. Another object according to aspects of the present invention is to consolidate many of the instruments used in prior alignment processes into a single apparatus. Yet another object according to aspects of the present invention is to eliminate the need for manual support of the weight of the transition during the alignment process. A further object according to aspects of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can validate the alignment of the transition. Still another object according to aspects of the invention is to provide a method for aligning a transition duct with a component of the combustor section of a turbine engine. These and other objects according to aspects of the present invention are addressed below.